Better East Texas: Iran, nuclear agreements, and oil prices

President Trump made the announcement recently that the U.S. will pull out of the nuclear agreement with Iran. It was not a huge for surprise, but it is a bold step as we continue to stare down rogue nations who desire to disrupt our culture and spread terrorism.

This tough, hard-line stand seems to have worked with North Korea and hopefully it will bring Iran to the table. The problem with the current agreement is that it only essentially delayed Iran from create nuclear devices for 10 years or so. So, the president has said, 'let’s deal with this now rather than later.'

It is a political and diplomatic gamble, but one this president seems to thrive on. Hopefully, eyes will turn to the negotiating table and not Twitter for a new solution that yields a safer world.

In the short term, this is a good thing for the energy sector of our economy, especially oil-producing states like Texas. With oil prices on the rise, resulting in higher gas prices, much of the country will start complaining and the economy may even slow a bit. But this is good news for Texas and East Texas, even if you are not directly involved in an energy company.

As much as we have diversified, the energy – aka oil industry - is still alive and well. Thankfully, we have been producing oil at a level where energy independence is more real than ever. So, while the diplomats work out new agreements – hopefully in person and not over tweets, we will most likely benefit, and that will make for a Better East Texas.